October 7, 2021: Vaccine-Mandate Comments Fill the Evening as the Board Dissolves Two Financing Corporations and Awards a School Alterations Bid

President Joe Schaffer called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. with Don Bridge, Andrew Cruz, Christina Gagnier, James Na and Schaffer present, and reconvened open session at 6:00 p.m. 1. Public comment on items not on the agenda filled most of the recorded evening: the minutes list 18 people and the Parent Association of Chino Valley, 11 of them on vaccine mandates 1. The board adopted all three action items and the consent calendar, each on a motion by Na seconded by Gagnier 2. Schaffer adjourned at 7:49 p.m. 3

About this record. This page is built from the district's signed minutes, which the board approved on its October 21, 2021 consent calendar 4. Names come only from those minutes, and recording remarks are attributed to a board member only within the subject the minutes give that member. The transcript begins partway into the opening of public comment 5, after a brief recess the minutes record for live-stream problems 1, so the employee representatives' remarks are known only from the minutes.

Out of closed session

The board met in closed session from 4:30 to 5:44 p.m. on anticipated litigation (one potential case), principal and assistant principal appointments, labor negotiations with A.C.T. and CSEA, a personnel discipline matter, and the superintendent's evaluation 1. It reported one action: it appointed Vanessa Acuña principal of Butterfield Ranch Elementary School, effective October 8, 2021 1.

Public comment on items not on the agenda

The opening announcement on the recording gave 15 requests to speak and said the board would hear up to 30 minutes of non-agenda comment 55. The minutes list the speakers by subject, with names as printed: Ken Willett and Karen Hassett regarding Chino Hills HS bingo; Jacob Roberts regarding truth; the Parent Association of Chino Valley regarding updates; James Gallagher complimenting the board and administration; Seth Gerdine regarding CVUSD; Amanda Swager and Yolanda regarding sub pay and the substitute crisis; and Casandra Sanchez, Michael Ross, Cindy Foisy, Caitlyn Martinez, Angela Romero, Hilda Rodriguez, Rebecca Lollis, Virginia Renteria, Juli Santorsola, Karla Marquez and Kristal regarding vaccine mandates 1. Names on this page come only from the minutes, which record subjects rather than remarks, so the comments themselves are not summarized here.

On October 1 Gov. Gavin Newsom had announced that California would require COVID-19 vaccines for K-12 students, taking effect the semester after full federal approval for each age group 6. A separate state order already required school staff to show proof of full vaccination or be tested weekly, with full compliance due October 15 7. Eleven days after the meeting, the Chino Valley Champion photographed about 300 parents and students protesting the mandates outside district headquarters during a statewide walkout 8.

Action items

Instructional materials. Schaffer opened the public hearing on the sufficiency of instructional materials at 7:10 p.m.; there were no speakers, and the hearing was closed at 7:11 p.m. The board then adopted Resolution 2021/2022-31 2. Education Code 60119 requires the hearing, and the resolution finds that the district has provided each pupil with sufficient standards-aligned textbooks and instructional materials for 2021/2022 910.

Two financing corporations dissolved. The board adopted Resolutions 2021/2022-28 and 2021/2022-29, dissolving the Chino Unified School District Capital Facilities Corporation and Land Acquisition Corporation 2. The staff memo prepared by Assistant Superintendent Gregory J. Stachura says the district created them in 1986 and 1989 to help finance school capital improvements, that no outstanding debt relies on either, and that the district will use the Municipal Finance Corporation instead; it lists a $4,000 cost to the General Fund 1111.

Week of the School Administrator. The board adopted Resolution 2021/2022-32, recognizing the state's Week of the School Administrator, October 10 through 16 212.

Consent calendar

The board approved the consent items on one motion by Na, seconded by Gagnier 2. They included:

• The Butterfield Ranch ES and Hidden Trails ES alterations bid, awarded to 15 contractors 13. The packet puts the total at $18,129,976 from Building Fund 21, for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fire and life safety, keyless access and security work 14.
• Legal services payments to Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo; Margaret A. Chidester & Associates; and Tao Rossini, APC 2, $33,705.40 in the packet 15.
• The warrant register, $7,265,941.93 in the packet 216, and the purchase order register, $1,150,129 217.
• Resolution 2021/2022-30, letting the district buy information technology goods and services from Data Impressions through a California Multiple Award Schedule contract running to September 2024 218.
• Rejection of a claim, referred to the district's insurance adjuster; a new job description for Coordinator, Special Projects; and student teaching and fieldwork agreements with five universities 13.
• School trips for Cattle ES and Chino HS, a Red Ribbon Week proclamation, a surplus property declaration, a notice of completion for small projects 2, and two construction change orders 2.

Employee representatives

A.C.T. President Brenda Walker acknowledged the coming week of the school administrator, said the association takes part in district committees including ESSER III and LCAP, and spoke about the COVID-19 employee testing mandate 1. Emily Lao, CHAMP vice president, said CHAMP is hosting Dr. Jolie Hood on October 19 for administrators and congratulated Hidden Trails ES on achieving National Blue Ribbon status 1, one of 26 California public schools honored in 2021 19. The student representative was absent 1.

Board communications

Under the board's protocols, a member may request a future agenda item during board member comments, and the president and superintendent first decide whether it is within the board's purview 20.

Andrew Cruz said people are probably not entering the education field because of restrictions or fears, spoke about the importance of the teachers union defending its members, and said the fruit of the pandemic is fear, loneliness and anxiety 3. He showed slides on COVID-19 data, liability insurance and vaccine exemptions 3; on the recording they quoted Senate Bill 277, the 2015 law that eliminated personal-belief exemptions from required immunizations 21. He spoke about his proposed agenda items that were rejected 3, listing on the recording resolutions on masks and on the vaccine mandate and an item on the Nuremberg Code 2121. Resolution 2021/2022-27, opposing statewide COVID-19 vaccination mandates, had failed on September 16 22; the Champion reported it as Cruz's resolution and said he had asked for it to go on the agenda with his own wording 23. He also spoke about FDA and CDC information on the vaccine 3, saying on the recording that the FDA-approved vaccine was for ages 16 and up while the shot for ages 12 and up remained under emergency use 24.

James Na spoke about kids not having a clear direction for their future 3. He requested an action item for the next meeting for CVUSD to join Murrieta USD and the Orange County Department of Education "in supporting children and parental choice against poor decision made by Gavin Newsom under the name of state mandate" 325. The Orange County Board of Education, the county's elected school board, had moved in August to sue Newsom over the classroom mask mandate 26. Na asked that staff consult legal counsel about filing a claim against TikTok for inciting students to destroy school property 3, calling the company foreign owned on the recording 25; in mid-September TikTok had begun removing "devious lick" videos of items stolen and vandalized at schools 27. He said he supports doing something so Chino Hills HS bingo can operate in bad weather 3; on the recording he said he had visited the games, that the players are seniors, and asked the superintendent to look into it 282828. A motion to approve indoor facilities use for the bingo had failed on August 19 29. He also spoke about the difficulty of finding substitutes and the need to raise substitute pay temporarily 3. On November 4, 2021 the board adopted Resolution 2021/2022-37 as amended, urging the governor to reconsider or rescind the student vaccine mandate 30.

Don Bridge said he agrees with Na about substitute shortages and the need for competitive pay 3. He congratulated Hidden Trails ES, attended the Chino Valley Soroptimist open house and the Milk Can game, and acknowledged October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month 3.

Christina Gagnier said she had raised student mental health supports at the last meeting and asked Superintendent Norm Enfield to share information about the advisory committee that will address the issue 3. On the recording she said she had not brought a formal action item after discussing it with him 31.

Joe Schaffer congratulated Hidden Trails ES, thanked the parent advocate group and those present for continuing the dialogue and inviting the board to meet, and said he looks forward to answering parent questions in a more casual setting 3, describing on the recording a town-hall-type meeting without the restrictions of a set board agenda and the Brown Act 31.

Press coverage

No press report of this meeting was found; the web sources cited above are background.